No, the basketball players want to be involved in decisions that affect their livelihood.

Essentiallly (with the new ball), the NBA has unilaterally changed a fundamental piece of the players' working conditions. I don't see any evidence of whining here. They have a legitimate complaint.

"The only thing that we love the most is the basketball. That's your comfort. I mean, without your basketball, it doesn't work. That was my biggest problem, was, why would you change something that means so much to us? It didn't make sense to me at all."

i always find it odd when people make the argument that labor relations laws shouldn't apply to professional athletes simply because they're rich. although the laws have their roots in the early part of the 20th century when no workers were rich, they apply in any situation in which workers have collective arrangements with management.

that said, no, i don't feel sorry for the nba players and no one should. but they still have the right to pursue grievances. they didn't sacrifice that right because they earn millions of dollars a year.

i always find it odd when people make the argument that labor relations laws shouldn't apply to professional athletes simply because they're rich. although the laws have their roots in the early part of the 20th century when no workers were rich, they apply in any situation in which workers have collective arrangements with management.

that said, no, i don't feel sorry for the nba players and no one should. but they still have the right to pursue grievances. they didn't sacrifice that right because they earn millions of dollars a year.

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Least of all, nobody should feel sorry for arrogant egotistical thugs who want the unfettered right to run amuck on the court.

Oh yes, and also, imported Eurosoccer-born-and-bred divers, fakers, whiners and flailers whose on-field hysteria is spreading from the soccer field, where it has made a mess out of the entire sport, into American basketball, where the same type of antics are spreading more and more as the European influence continues to grow.

Oh yeah yeah, I know there were fakers and divers all through the years, long before Euros arrived. Tommy Heinsohn was famous for it, and of course Bill Laimbeer made it his career specialty (the one aspect of the game he was truly good at) -- although why ANY ref would ever give Mother Fucking Bill Laimbeer a call, EVER, is quite truly beyond my imagination. Of course it's gone on for decades, but it's light-years worse now.

It's part of the basic culture of sport in Europe. Everybody always bitches after every goddamn call, waving their arms, everybody takes dives for the refs, coaches pull their teams off the field/floor/ice etc etc etc. And it's got to be STOPPED.

Shut The Fuck Up and Play.

Not only should they not back off on it, they should STEP IT UP. Throw Rasheed "Why's everybody always pickin' on me??" Wallace's shrieking screeching ass out of about 40 fucking games in a row. Shut the fuck up and play.

And I thought the rule was stupid.
Discipline those angry Negroes and weenie furriners at once!
Meanwhile, people who pay $150 to see a game get to watch guys try to shoot an ice cube and get to watch the game stopped every 10 minutes because an incompetent dopestick of a referee got his feelings hurt.